It's Saturday morning but not just any Saturday morning. This Saturday is one of the "workshop saturdays". If you are an artist in the greater Haverhill area, this Saturday morning is special. You see, every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, members and friends of the Haverhill Art Association gather at the First Church of Christ (10 Church St, Bradford MA) from 9am to noon for a workshop.

The morning starts with artists gathering about, setting up easels and settling in with oils, pastels, watercolors and charcoals. Canvas is mounted on easels and drawing or watercolor paper is taped to boards. Tables are moved into place around a still life that is being tweaked to perfection.

Artists walk about and catch up on the latest art events and converse with friends that they meet up with every other Saturday or so. Laughter is in the air and handshakes abound as artists meet with fellow artists and newfound friends.

The model takes his or her seat, adjusts and braces to hold a pose for 20 minutes at a time. The atmosphere changes. The room becomes a bit quieter as artists gather at their easels and work begins. Colors are mixed, background washes are applied and the work of rendering a blank canvas into a piece of art begins.

The instructors, Joan Rademacher and Mark Hayden, walk about offering tips, advise and kudos to artists as they wrestle with composition and color harmony. After 20 minutes, the foundations for the artwork are laid. A beeper goes off to signal a break for the model. The large room once again becomes a social gathering as artists amber over to one of the tables for a second cup of coffee and to peruse the breakfast pastry offerings.

Some gather at a table that is set up with used books and artist supplies that are donated and whose sales assist with the rent of the building. Many a treasure can be found here for a dollar or two. A few pastels in an old cigar box with a couple sheets of pastel paper for three dollars is a pretty low budget way of dabbling in a new medium. There are plenty of old books and magazines related to art technique that could provide productive entertainment for an evening or two.

After an hour or so, one merely looks about them at the canvases, now well on their way to becoming finished pieces, to appreciate the depth of some of the artists that attend these events.

You don't have to be a member of the Haverhill Art Association to attend these gatherings. The Saturday workshops are open to the public. A donation of five dollars, while not obligatory, is certainly appreciated to offset the cost of the hall.

The Haverhill Art Association is a thriving community of artists that get together on occasions such as these to keep art alive.

A very warm thank you to our instructors Joan Rademacher and Mark Hayden and coordinator Dena Carbone without whom we would not be able to so thoroughly enjoy every other Saturday or so. Also a special thanks to Stephanie Labelle of the Framingham College Photography Club for sharing some of her images. Stephanie joins us on Saturdays when she's home from school.